It is well known in the art to use microbes, such as certain bacteria, to convert carbohydrates, including starches and sugars, to amino acids by means of the process of fermentation. The two amino acids, lysine and glutamic acid, had a total commercial market value estimated to be in the range of $3.5 billion in 2004. Salts of these amino acids, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), are in great demand having use as food additives. Thus, it should be appreciated that production of amino acids is a very large commercial business.
In the typical production sequence, bacteria are grown aerobically in a liquid nutrient medium containing carbohydrates, such as sugar, molasses or starch as a fermentation substrate. The bacteria are capable of excreting the desired amino acid synthesized outside their cell membrane into the surrounding liquid nutrient medium. The amino acid accumulates in this medium and is later separated from the fermentation broth and collected by means of filtration, neutralization and purification. Currently, the significant remaining byproduct or waste material from the fermentation process is usually sold inexpensively as animal feed or as an animal feed supplement.
In the past, a number of compounds have been used as anti-freezing or deicing agents for removing snow and ice from surfaces, such as highways and roads. Moreover, different methods have been disclosed in the art for developing compounds and compositions for use as anti-freezing or deicing agents. Chloride salts, such as calcium, magnesium or sodium chloride are the primary compounds that have been used as anti-freezing or deicing agents. Nonetheless, chloride salts have significant limitations as anti-freezing and/or deicing agents and detrimental effects resulting from the use of chloride salts as anti-freezing or deicing agents are well-known.
One of the primary limitations of using chloride salts for their anti-freezing and deicing capabilities is the limited range of temperatures that the chloride salts are effective. Specifically, chloride salts are generally effective as anti-freezing or deicing agents between approximately twenty degrees and thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit (20°-32° F.). Moreover, the use of chloride salts are harmful to the environment. Specifically, the high concentration of chloride salts can damage the soil, water, and/or vegetation in the areas where the chloride salts are used as anti-freezing and/or deicing agents. In addition, the corrosive nature of the chloride salts can damage the vehicles and roadways that come into contact with the chloride salts.
An early proposal for overcoming these problems was made by Dr. Jeno Toth of Hungary. Legend has it that Dr. Toth observed that even at temperatures well below freezing, snow and ice did not form on outdoor surfaces near where commercial plants discharged waste products resulting from alcohol distillation processes. Thus, after experimentation, he proposed the use of these distillation byproducts as alternatives to chloride salts as anti-freezing and deicing agents. A description of his experimentation with these compounds is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,918, issued Jun. 30, 1987.
Later proposals seeking to diversify from Dr. Toth's work propose the use of similar types of byproducts as anti-freezing or deicing agents. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,709,813, 5,709,812, and 5,635,101, all to Janke et al., propose the use of the waste byproducts of the wet corn milling, wine, and cheese-making processes as anti-freezing and deicing agents. While the compositions forming these byproducts serve as effective anti-freezing and deicing agents, several limitations remain.
First, many of the compositions proposed in these patents take on the consistency of “thick molasses” at low temperatures and at extremely low temperatures (e.g., below 0° F.), become thick and putty-like. In this form, the compounds can only be effectively spread onto surfaces for use if first placed in solution with water or other compounds, such as known prior art chemical deicing agents. While it is feasible to do so to form an improved anti-freezing/deicing solution, it has been observed that such a solution continues to be high in the concentration of suspended solids and, thus, tends to clog conventional spraying or spreading devices. Such clogging can result in poor or inadequate spreading over the surface/object to be treated and thus ineffective performance. Still further, significant downtime may be necessary to clean the sprayers used to apply the composition. This costly and labor intensive operation is often quite difficult to perform when out on the job away from repair facilities and appropriate equipment for such a purpose. Such can be particularly detrimental when inclement weather, such as snow storms or severe temperature drops accompanied by precipitation, are quickly approaching or ongoing.
Thus, a need is identified for an improved anti-freezing and deicing composition that overcomes the above-described limitations of the prior art. The composition would preferably be readily available at a low cost, such as is the case with byproducts/waste materials of widely used commercial processes, and would be ready for use in conventional devices such as sprayers without any additional mixing or processing. The composition would be non-corrosive and preferably would also inhibit corrosion when mixed with prior art chemical anti-freezing or deicing agents. The composition would not have an offensive odor. The composition would also be environmentally friendly and, thus, could be applied without hamming plants or contaminating the ground or surface water.